The Tales of Flynnagan Rider
by Dutch FF-lover
Summary: One night at the orphanage Eugene is reading the tales of Flynnagan Rider to a little orphan girl. Let me know what you think!


Thanks to Trudi for beta-ing, it's my first Rapunzel fanfiction, please let me know what you think!

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><p>"Eugene," a little voice whispered in his ear. "Eugene!"<p>

"What?" Eugene said sleepily. He didn't open his eyes and tried to fall asleep again. It couldn't be morning yet. It was still dark. Only then the person started to prick him. He turned over and looked at the six-year old girl standing next to his bed. "Hey little one, why aren't you asleep? It's the middle of the night," he whispered back.

The girl shrugged. "I can't sleep."

This was happening more and more often. The little girl had been in the orphanage for only a few weeks now and she was having a hard time adjusting to her new life. "Listen, Lizzy, you have to go back to bed," he explained to her. "If they catch you here, you're in trouble."

"Read me a story," she begged.

She pouted slightly. And there was no way Eugene could resist a pouting girl. He sighed and sat up, then looked for his slippers under his bed. "Go back to bed, I'll be right there," he said. When he looked up again, Lizzy hadn't moved. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid to walk back alone. It's dark in the hallways."

"Then how did you get here?" Eugene said with a smirk. He lit a candle and looked through his personal drawer. "Which story do you want to hear?"

"Flynnagan Rider's story!" Lizzy exclaimed.

Eugene placed his finger on his lips. "Sssh," he whispered. "Or you'll get me in trouble as well."

"My feet are cold."

He looked down and saw that Lizzy hadn't bothered to put on any socks or slippers when she came over. She was standing there with bare feet and she was shivering. He put down the candle and gave Lizzy the book. "Here, you hold the book." He scooped her up on his arm. "Better?" He took the candle and walked to the girls' wing.

Luckily Lizzy's bed was next to the door. Nobody woke up when he put the girl down again.

"Hello, Eugene," a girl's voice said softly as they entered. From the back of the room, a girl walked over.

"Maggie?" Eugene said in surprise when he recognized her. Maggie was one of the older girls in the orphanage, sixteen and very pretty.

"She woke me first," Maggie whispered. "I wish she hadn't. I have kitchen duty tomorrow!" She ran her fingers through her short brown hair. "I will look awful if I don't get enough sleep."

"You look fine to me." Eugene smiled at her. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Eugene!" Lizzy pulled on Eugene's vest, trying to catch his attention. "You said you would read me a story!"

"Of course, little one, I would never forget about you."

Maggie sat down on Lizzy's bed and leaned against the headboard. "Come here, Lizzy. Lie down." Lizzy nested herself against Maggie's side and put her thumb in her mouth.

Eugene put the candle on the nightstand and sat down on the other end of the bed. "All set?" he asked. When Lizzy nodded in agreement, he started to tell the story. "Okay, these are the Tales of Flynnagan Rider, the swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies either." For a moment he looked up and winked at Maggie, who was blushing, as far as he could see by the candlelight.

"In this story, Flynnagan was riding through the woods on his way to a festival, when all of a sudden…" He paused to build a little more tension, although the little girl was already hanging on every word he said. And the older girl was listening carefully too. "The scream of a damsel in distress. He rode in the direction of the sound and saw the most beautiful girl ever. Her carriage was tipped over in the swamp and was sinking faster and faster! This was no regular damsel, this was a lady!"

"Who was it?" Lizzy whispered excitedly.

"You'll find out later!" Eugene said as he patted Lizzy on her nose. "But I can already tell you that on the side of the carriage were the arms of the royal family!"

Lizzy gasped. "She was the lost princess?"

"Who knows, but it was up to Flynnagan Rider to rescue her!" As he read on, he saw Lizzy slowly falling asleep. He made his voice softer and softer, till he was sure she wouldn't wake up.

"Finally!" Maggie let out a deep sigh as she gently tugged Lizzy in. "Thanks, Eugene, you are the only one who can get her to sleep."

"Oh, it's nothing. I like reading these stories to her," he shrugged, waving away her words. He closed the book, but didn't get up from the bed. "She's a great listener."

"You tell it so vividly. I almost felt like the lady in the carriage!"

"I'd rescue you," Eugene said absent-mindedly. "Uh… I mean… " There was an awkward silence between the two young people. "I have to get back," he finally concluded. "Do you want to sit next to me at breakfast?"

"Well, I don't know, Eugene…" Maggie started.

Before Maggie could say anything else, Eugene decided to try one of the things he had read in one of the Flynnagan Rider books, the one thing that made every girl swoon and sigh at the sight of Flynnagan: his special smile. His smolder. As he looked at Maggie, he could see it was working! Maggie couldn't resist it! She was biting her lower lip, trying to keep standing. _Wow, I should have tried this earlier!_

"Oh, okay," Maggie said quickly. "I'd better go back to bed now."

"You want me to tug you in?"

"Don't push it, Eugene," Maggie said with a smile. She looked at him over her shoulder as she walked back to her own bed. "Good night, Flynnagan Rider."

"Good night, Maggie," he whispered softly.

Now feeling extremely confident, Eugene walked back to the boys' wing. He was walking on air. What would Flynnagan Rider do when he was having breakfast with a beautiful girl? He would not have breakfast with her. He would sweep the girl off her feet and take her away from her normal life.

"Stop right there, Eugene Fitzherbert!" a voice behind him interrupted his thoughts. "What are you doing out of bed?"

_Busted! _Eugene knew the man whose voice he heard. It was one of the caretakers. "I was thirsty, getting a glass of water from the kitchen," he answered as he turned around, hoping it sounded convincing.

"The kitchen is the other way. You came out of the girls' wing," the man said sternly. "Eugene, you're seventeen now. Within a few months you will leave the orphanage. I don't want to have to send you to the superintendent again."

Eugene hesitated. He didn't want to cause any problems for Lizzy or Maggie. "Then don't," he said with a shrug.

"You know the rules."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, we all keep quiet and we will all live happily ever after!"

The man sighed. "What will you ever make of your life if you already get into trouble here?"the continued. "I'll make a deal with you. You go to bed now, but tomorrow morning you will help out in the kitchen."

_Kitchen duty. With Maggie there? _"Okay, deal!" Eugene said immediately.

The man frowned at Eugene's quick answer. "Good. Now back to bed, Eugene."

A few minutes later, Eugene was lying in bed thinking about what the caretaker had just said of him. _What will you ever make of your life? _echoed in Eugene's head. He hoped that the orphanage would help him by getting him an easy and exciting job. But he knew very well that if he had to meet the superintendent one more time, chances were slim. Besides, the superintendent didn't really like him. He wanted to get rid of Eugene as soon as possible. If he could, he'd just kick him out right now and then forget about him.

If that happened, Eugene decided, he would live like Flynnagan Rider. He would enjoy whatever the world would bring him. There would be adventures and lots of money so he could buy everything he ever longed for.

_And when I get out of here, I'll get myself a castle, _he thought right before he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
